Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Giants: Reaction To Mel Kiper Jr. ‘Grade A’ Mock

By Kenneth Teape

Feb 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Mississippi wide receiver Laquon Treadwell speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Mississippi wide receiver Laquon Treadwell speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

If the New York Giants want an ‘A’ grade from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. at next week’s 2016 NFL Draft, it will be offense heavy.

The New York Giants have had a monster offseason thus far. They came into it with a ton of cap space, and weren’t frugal in the early going. They handed out monster contracts to upgrade their defense, as they signed defensive end Olivier Vernon, formally of the Miami Dolphins, signed a record setting deal. In addition to Vernon, the Giants also added Damon Harrison, formally of the New York Jets, to their defensive line to go with the re-signing of Jason Pierre-Paul.

The Giants also added to their secondary, signing Janoris Jenkins away from the St. Louis Rams, again with a huge contract. With so many additions in free agency, the Giants will look to keep the good times rolling when the NFL Draft takes place next week.

The Giants will be picking 10th overall, and there are a number of different directions they could go in. Conventional wisdom has the Giants selecting the best player available, not selecting for need. But, with as many holes as they have, the value could turn out to be a need pick as well.

More from Empire Writes Back

Over at ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. releases his mock drafts based off what would receive an ‘A’ grade from him. Kiper makes each pick with only the interest of the team selecting in mind. If he believes a player is better fit for the No.5 pick, he will not pass on him at No.4 to make it work. He does this for the first three rounds of the draft, and for the Giants he has them going offense twice and defense once.

To receive an ‘A’ grade from Kiper, he has the Giants selecting wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from Ole Miss 10th overall, outside linebacker Noah Spence from Eastern Kentucky in the second round with the 40th overall pick, and running back Kenneth Dixon of Louisana Tech in the third round with the 71st overall pick.

It is an interesting approach by Kiper, as the Giants clearly need some building blocks defensively. While free agency looks nice now, having young, cost effective players in place is the best recipe for success. Currently, the Giants have very little in the way of young talent defensively. It would be tough to pass up on a pass rusher 10th overall in favor of a second, possibly third wide receiver.

More from New York Giants

While the need if there at wide receiver, as Odell Beckham Jr. is really all the Giants have with Victor Cruz still being a question mark, selecting a wide receiver that high could have a negative long-term affect on the team. While it would look good slotting a 10th overall pick opposite of Beckham Jr., the Giants would probably be better off landing a building block along the defensive or offensive line at 10.

But, with the way that Kiper’s mock draft played out, the value wasn’t there so Treadwell would make for a luxury pick for the team and yet another weapon for Eli Manning.

If Spence falls to the Giants at 40, they will be getting a steal. There is no denying the talent that he has, but his off-field issues are a different story. Spence was kicked out of Ohio State for failing two drug tests, and his draft stock is falling because teams are concerned about it.

He claims he is clean now, and if he is he would represent great value at 40. If he falls out of the first round, the Giants may need to make a move similar to what they did last season when they moved up in the second round to land Landon Collins. They will not be the only team interested in adding the talented pass rusher if he takes a tumble.

The Giants running game was a mess last season. The addition of Shane Vereen didn’t have the impact they though it would, while Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Orleans Darkwa made up an underwhelming four-man rotation. Dixon was as productive as they come, and would be a solid addition to the Giants backfield.

Dixon rushed for a school record 4,480 yards with 72 touchdowns on the ground. He was also productive as a receiver, catching 88 passes for 972 yards and another 15 touchdowns. There are some worries, such as his fumbling and athleticism, but there is no question he is productive and could help the Giants on third down.

Next: Osi Umenyiora's 5 most memorable moments

If things shake out for the Giants as Kiper has mocked, there will be a lot of happy Giants fans next weekend. They added talent across the board while filling needs, hitting on a number of areas. The Giants are much improved via free agency, and can improve even more with a strong draft.

Home/New York Giants